Live data from Hacker News

Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

wsj.com

41–50 of 57 posts

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#41

the most frustrating thing about US immigration is that nothing changes. The American politics is deadlocked. Even though both sides agree that GC backlog is a problem, nothing happens because now in American politics only small inconsequential incremental changes are possible. Anything reformative is just not possible here anymore. This is also true for issues that impact americans like gun laws.

> only small inconsequential incremental changes are possible. Anything reformative is just not possible here anymore

For a year that’s seen massive changes in abortion rights, monetary policy, deposit insurance and military posture, this is a strange conclusion to come to.

The answer is the “both sides agree that GC backlog is a problem” observation is wrong.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but the goal is not to move to the US permanently, it is to make a ton of money here and then retire in Canada.

As an H-1B holder, we are legally entitled (and required) to work for one specific employer and that's it. You cannot even think of starting a company, you cannot work a gig job, you can't work two "high-paying" tech jobs. Everyone knows the "ton of money" doesn't come from working a salaried job, it's from creating something new / starting a company. But only US green card holders or US citizens can even dream of co…

You can found on a H-1B. My friend has.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If u have a ton money, it's cheaper to just live in US. Canada is very expensive for the plebs. The cost of living keeps rising and the politicians are very anti small businesses and pro oligarchy. They have a strangle hold on the country simliar to the Murdoch in Australia. Ironically, US is fairer in helping the small timers.

> If u have a ton money, it's cheaper to just live in US. Not if you have a chronic illness and have doctor appointments most weeks.

It was the saving grace, but I am not sure if that's the case now as the situation deteriorates. If I am already having the big tech insurance and I am gonna to fly to Mexico/India for some of the items anyway, why do I need it?

The politicians simply DO NOT care. They just let oligarchs keep eating the small palayers, and it will totally break the health system some day just like how they killed 3rd party internet providers. Telus is already making the play in the health sector.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#44
post #10

Ironically the #2 post on /r/canada right now is titled "'I'm done with Canada': High cost of living leads some to leave the country" ( https://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/1538vpj/im_done_wit... )

What a fascinating thread. Here's an interesting sentence from a comment there:

> This is a cultural problem because majority of the immigrants are from India and they focus on education too much. We need to get people in to trades and creating new job opportunities in energy and lumber our natural resources or infrastructure.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would fixing the visa system push US tech salaries down?

Because fixing it would make it easier for tech professionals to immigrate to the US, which would increase the supply of these people.

Why don't tech salaries decrease come graduation season when hundreds of thousands of college students majoring in CS move on from college and are about to start working? Or why have tech salaries grown as much as they did when CS major enrollment kept hitting record highs throughout the late 2010s?

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#46
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a mess, but the corporations love it. It creates an indentured servant class that applies downward pressure on technical salaries. If you have a US work visa for 24 months (max), it should automatically roll over into a green card. Background checks should be the responsibility of the company to get finished before 24 months and failure to do so should be a Federal felony that puts the CEO in jail. This would c…

It seems like fixing it would push tech salaries down even more so wouldn't corporations prefer that?

Because you've got it backwards.

H-1Bs depress salaries because the companies don't have to give an H1-B a significant raise, basically, ever (read: 5+ years or more).

If people can get green cards in 24 months, those people can leave indentured servitude for a company that pays better. It also completely obliterates the "body shops" as they would have to pay a bunch of money for people who are going to jump out at the first opportunity. So, companies wouldn't automatically bring in a visa holder as there wouldn't be a real advantage over a domestic worker unless there was a real, technical reason for doing so.

I have no problem competing with tech people who come here and can move between companies. In addition, immigrants in tech are generally from a higher socioeconomic strata in their home country and have a tendency to found companies.

More tech folks normally means a need for even more tech folks as long as they aren't artificially suppressed.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#47

The plan is to use origami techniques to fold the H1-B Visa into an affordable home in Canada.

Or just get a slice of the entrepreneurial opportunities these immigrants bring to actually grow the economy. 55% of the unicorns in the US have atleast one immigrant founder. 66 of the top 500 unicorns in the US are founded by Indian immigrant founders. https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/entrepreneurship/news/story...

s/economy/inequality/

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If u have a ton money, it's cheaper to just live in US. Canada is very expensive for the plebs. The cost of living keeps rising and the politicians are very anti small businesses and pro oligarchy. They have a strangle hold on the country simliar to the Murdoch in Australia. Ironically, US is fairer in helping the small timers.

> If u have a ton money, it's cheaper to just live in US. Not if you have a chronic illness and have doctor appointments most weeks.

Basically, if you have valuable tech skills and are young and healthy, the US is a great place to make a lot of money.

Otherwise, not so much.

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because fixing it would make it easier for tech professionals to immigrate to the US, which would increase the supply of these people.

Why don't tech salaries decrease come graduation season when hundreds of thousands of college students majoring in CS move on from college and are about to start working? Or why have tech salaries grown as much as they did when CS major enrollment kept hitting record highs throughout the late 2010s?

Salaries are a function of supply and demand. There's a huge amount of demand for these skills, and a new graduating class doesn't change that significantly (new grads aren't very productive after all, and salaries don't change that fast, since people don't change jobs every month). And demand has been increasing, faster than the new supply.

But there's probably other variables too. Why are tech salaries so low in Canada, for instance, despite there being lots of demand, and not that much supply (with many Canadians trying to go south to get the higher salaries there)?

Re: Canada Woos American H-1B Visa Holders Fed Up with U.S. Immigration System

#50
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can't imagine that America's byzantine visa system is accomplishing any useful policy goal I am positive it is. It works like most things in the US. The ruling class profits tremendously from the exploitation it enables, and American citizens are much too propagandized and alienated from politics to do anything about it.

The sad fact is that the ruling class could profit much more by opening up visas for skilled workers. You only hire workers and pay them because they make you more money than they cost. Business literally doesn’t work if that’s not true. Every visa you deny a skilled worker is lowered economic activity. Our visa policies directly hinder economic growth. And in the most absurd ways imaginable. H1B is tied to an employ…

That is very naive. What employers want more of is workers that can be exploited for more labor at lower cost, and no workers are more exploitable than those under threat of deportation if they lose their job.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-money/2022/05/3...

Post reply on HN